Teacher held on sex charges involving student

Keith Paul

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002 | 11:30 a.m.

A 32-year-old high school teacher accused of having sex with a student more than two years ago admitted to having an "inappropriate" relationship with the girl, according to Metro Police.

Shane M. Kober, a teacher at Advanced Technologies Academy, is being held in the Clark County jail this morning on more than $30,000 bond. He is charged with 10 counts of sexual conduct between an employee of a school and a student -- a felony punishable by a prison term of one to five years per count.

Kober, who was arrested Tuesday, is the second Clark County teacher arrested this school year in connection with sex-related crimes. Last week, Garehime Elementary School teacher John R. Sinchak was charged with three counts of sexual assault on a victim under 14.

According to a police report, Kober, a teacher in Clark County since 1998, maintained he did not have sex with the student, then 16, in 1999 and 2000.

But the girl told police she did have a sexual relationship with Kober for 10 months. She saved about 30 cards, letters and e-mails from the teacher that referred to sexual contact between the two, according to a police report.

Police interviewed Kober, a health teacher at the magnet school, on Aug. 21 about the girl's allegations.

Kober told a Metro sexual assault detective that he did not have sex with the girl but did have an "inappropriate, out of school, relationship with her."

The former student, who graduated from the school, told police in June that she had a sexual relationship with Kober. She said it started after she left Kober an anonymous love letter in his school mailbox in February or March 1999.

Kober approached her and she confessed she wrote the letter, the girl said. A relationship grew from that initial encounter and the pair started meeting outside of school, according to the police report.

The two would meet in his car and in a portable trailer being used as a classroom behind the school, according to the report.

The girl told police the pair first had sex at Kober's house. She said they had sex about three times a week from March or April 1999 until January 2000.

The girl told police the sex was consensual, but Lt. Jeff Carlson said state law makes it a crime for a school employee to have sexual contact with a student regardless of age. The age of consent in Nevada is 16.

"Maybe in her mind as a 16-year-old student it was OK, but now as an 18- or 19-year-old woman she started thinking that it just wasn't right," Carlson said.

During his interview with police, Kober first denied having any relationship with the girl, but as evidence was placed in front of him, he changed his story, according to the report. However, he always maintained he did not have sex with her, according to the report.

All Clark County School District teachers have seen a short video detailing the law about teacher-student contacts, said George Ann Rice, associate superintendent of human resources.

In addition to Kober and Sinchak, since 2001, at least 10 other school district employees have been charged with sex-related crimes.